Maisons consommant peu d'énergie: isolation et étanchéité à l'air/Low-Energy Houses: Insulation and Airtightness

The Hjortekar project of six low energy house designs north of Copenhagen has become renowned. Here, the authors, from the Thermal Insulation Laboratory, the Technical University of Denmark, explain some of the construction details to avoid cold bridges, including a new-type structural element, and to ensure airtightness. Test results of infiltration air change rates range from 0.02 to 0.12 a.c.h., while other tests show less than 15 per cent difference between calculated and measured transmission heat losses, which range from only 70 to 155 W/C. A discussion of the correlation of tests forms a major part of this article.